The 12 Quarterbacks That Could Change Everything On Draft Day, Ranked
The 2026 NFL draft is almost here. Pittsburgh hosts the festivities starting April 23, and ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid just dropped his official quarterback rankings for the class. After months of conversations with scouts and front office people around the league, Reid has locked in his top 12 passers on the board. These are the guys with a legitimate shot at getting drafted this year.
Fernando Mendoza Is the Breakout Nobody Saw Coming
Here's the wild thing about every draft class: there's always one quarterback who rockets from Day 2 or Day 3 consideration straight into early Round 1 territory before anyone really expects it. Think Jayden Daniels. Think Cam Ward. This year, that guy is Fernando Mendoza from Indiana.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiMendoza transferred to the Hoosiers last offseason after spending his first three years at Cal. There was serious buzz around him last summer from scouts, but plenty of evaluators wanted to pump the brakes and see what he'd actually do once the games started in 2025. He answered every question. The redshirt junior finished with 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. He won the Heisman Trophy. He led Indiana to their first national championship. At 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds, Reid projects Mendoza to get picked early in Round 1, with the Las Vegas Raiders being the best team fit for his skill set.
A Deep Dive Into the Top 12
Reid's rankings go 12 deep and break down the strengths and weaknesses of every quarterback he expects to hear called on draft day. Beyond the scouting report on each guy, he's also included updates on their draft stock and identified the best landing spot for each passer based on team needs and scheme fit.
The 2026 quarterback class is loaded, and Reid's rankings separate the elite from the rest. This is essential reading if you want to understand who could be walking across that stage in Pittsburgh in just a few weeks.
The draft kicks off April 23. Get ready.
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